hunter’s moon —
the dog’s eyes
widen

Black Friday —
an ambulance arrives
at the Nursing Home

quiet Thanksgiving —
a cat crawls out
of the dumpster

first snow —
whose turn is it
to walk the dog?

too cold to snow
she won’t return
my call

November wind —
an uninvited guest
rattles the shutters

hard frost —
acorns at the foot
of the old oak

Armistice Day —
I rescue a moth
from a spider web

Veteran’s Day rain —
an old man holds an umbrella
above the monument

(an “oldie” from November 1998)

last day on the job —
frost on both sides
of the windshield

late train —
a billboard asks
“Do you have insomnia?”

November night —
the steam rising
from a dead cat

Day of the Dead —
my son graduates
from The Academy

a trumpet plays Taps —
my son the Marine informs me
his Liberty is over